Pearsall Primary School, Western Australia, has won a garden bed in The Little Gardener recycling competition, which encouraged schools to collect and recycle their Whole Kids snack packaging, providing a boost to their sustainable garden project.
For the last five months, organic kids snack company Whole Kids and global recycling pioneers TerraCycle ran The Little Gardener Competition, encouraging schools nationally to collect and recycle Whole Kids packaging, a joint project to raise awareness about waste and recycling possibilities.
Schools were invited to send Whole Kids pouch and snack recycling to TerraCycle, who then converted it into durable products, including outdoor furniture, garden beds and playgrounds.
Each shipment of waste earned schools one entry into a draw to win the recycled garden bed. Additionally, for each approved unit of Whole Kids pouch and snack wrapper waste received, collectors earn AU$0.01 for funding towards their school or nominated charity.
Pearsall Primary School diverted over 1,400 Whole Kids pouches and snack wrappers during the competition, winning the recycled garden bed to start their own community garden.
Stephanie Benjamin from Pearsall Primary School said the recycled garden bed suits the school’s approach to sustainability, which also includes composting, worm farms and rain water use.
“We aim to give all our students access to the ever-growing sustainability garden we have here,” said Stephanie. “This recycled garden bed will allow more classes to continue learning about the environment and how to grow and tend to crops. We’ll also use those crops in our classroom cooking to promote healthy eating.”
“At Whole Kids we are all about creating a happier, healthier world for kids and this includes providing a sustainable environment for future generations,” said Monica Meldrum, Whole Kids Founder. “We are thrilled with the effort of all the schools that took park and thank the winners at Pearsall Primary School for not only giving our packaging a new life, but being mindful of sustainability everyday.”
“Congratulations to Pearsall Primary School, whose kids are enthusiastic TerraCycle collectors,” said Jean Bailliard, General Manager of TerraCycle Australia & New Zealand. “With their help, we can continue to turn Whole Kids packaging into a sustainable alternative and educate children about the importance of recycling. We hope they enjoy their new recycled garden bed!”
About the Kids Pouch & Snack Recycling Program:
Technically, pouch and snack wrapper waste is recyclable in Australia. The high cost of recycling mixed-plastic items like these, however, makes the process less attractive for recycling and manufacturing companies. As a result, most pouch and snack wrappers end up in landfill. Whole Kids is the only children’s food company to be able to fully recycle all of its products.
The Little Gardener Competition is part of the broader Whole Kids Pouch & Snack Recycling Program, which allows Australians to divert their Whole Kids pouches, pouch caps and snack wrappers from landfill free-of-charge.
For more information about the Kids Pouch & Snack Recycling Program, visit www.terracycle.com.au/en-AU/brigades/whole-kids-brigade.
How the program works
It’s free and easy to recycle Whole Kids pouch and snack wrapper waste with the Kids Pouch & Snack Recycling Program – everyone can join and collect!
Simply visit www.terracycle.com.au/en-AU, create a TerraCycle account and sign up to the Kids Pouch & Snack Recycling Program. Once you’ve collected enough Whole Kids pouch and snack wrapper waste in any old cardboard box or container, log in to your TerraCycle account, print a free prepaid Australia Post shipping label and drop the waste at your nearest Australia Post Office. For every piece of waste collected, AU$0.01 is donated to your nominated school or non-profit organisation. Collectors must send in at least one kilogram of Whole Kids pouch and snack wrapper waste to earn the TerraCycle point donation.
